Preoperative Axillary Staging Using 18F-FDG PET/CT and Ultrasonography in Breast Cancer Patients / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: The axillary lymph node status is an important prognostic factor for recurrence and survival of patients who have primary breast cancer. This study determined the accuracy of ultrasonography and 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in preoperative staging in axilla in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: One hundred seventy-one patients with primary breast cancer were recruited from January 2007 to August 2008. All the patients underwent axillary ultrasonography and 18F-FDG PET/CT for the axillary staging before their operation. RESULTS: The overall sensitivity, specificity, and the positive and negative predictive values and the accuracy of axillary ultrasonography for making the diagnosis of axillary metastasis were 73.07%, 84.87%, 67.85%, 87.82%, and 81.28%, respectively. On a visual assessment of 18F-FDG PET/CT, the diagnostic accuracy was 85.38% with 69.23% sensitivity, 92.43% specificity, a positive predictive value of 80.00%, and a negative predictive value of 87.30%. By the combined use axillary ultrasonography and 18F-FDG PET/CT to the axilla, the sensitivity, specificity, the positive and negative predictive values and the diagnostic accuracy were 82.35%, 97.91%, 93.33%, 94.00%, and 93.84%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The combination of 18F-FDG PET/CT and ultrasonography improves preoperative axillary staging in breast cancer that are often not found if only one imaging modalities are applied.

Catamenial Hemoptysis Caused by the Endometriosis of the Lung Parenchyme, Treated with Bisegmental Wedge Resection / 결핵

Catamenial hemoptysis is a term used to describe recurrent hemoptysis occuring at the time of menstruation and is caused by the presence of thoracic endometriosis. The diagnosis is almost always established on the clinical grounds and by exclusion of other causes of recurrent hemoptysis. The pathogenesis of the thoracic endometriosis is not clear but several hypothesis have been proposed, such as retrograde flow of the endometrial tissue through the diaphragmatic defects, microembolization through pelvic veins and differenciation into endometrial tissues. We report a case of a 35-year-old woman who presented with catamenial hemoptysis caused by the endometriosis of lung parenchyme. The lesion was localized to the right upper lobe posterior segment and right lower lobe superior segment by the computerized tomogram of the chest during the time of mensturation and treated effectively with bisegmental wedge resection.

A Case of Invasive Thymoma with Metastasis to the Diaphragem in a Myasthenic Patient

Primary malignancy of the thymus gland in myasthenia gravis remains rare, especially metastasis of the malignancy to a distant organ. We have presented a case of myasthenia gravis with invasive thymoma and its meatastasis to the diaphragm. The literature concerned with this aspect is reviewed.